There's simply no arguing Dortmund and Atletico deserve more respect than City for what they have achieved, and it's a big reason they have so many neutrals rooting for them. The way City have achieved success I still contend was/is the only way it was possible for a club like us in the situation we were in, but our issue has been that Chelsea were there before us, an already established sugar daddy club who could break the Arsenal & United monopoly and harbour widespread interest and resentment in equal measure. That's why everything City does will feel a little underwhelming in comparison to when Chelsea did it, for example, and we will need longer to reach the level they are at regarding global appeal and fanbase.
Imagine if Wolfsburg somehow won the Bundesliga this season. It would be a huge story, an underdog overcoming the seemingly invincible Bayern. But if a couple of seasons later Schalke did the same, then less people would take an interest or be as attracted to the story because it had been done only a couple of years ago. That's basically what City are suffering now, plus how we have achieved success lacks the romanticism that coincides with a club like Dortmund or Atletico getting one over on their much bigger rival.